Lorre's first show as creator was the ABC sitcom Grace Under Fire.[2] It premiered on ABC in 1993, and was nominated at the 52nd Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Lorre's next project was the sitcom Cybill. The show aired for four seasons on CBS and received critical acclaim, winning an Emmy in 1995: Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy series for co-star Christine Baranski and 2 Golden Globe Awards in 1996: Best TV series (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress in a TV series (Musical or Comedy). Lorre's next project, Dharma and Greg, was conceived in 1997, one year before the end of Cybill.[1] The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as the title characters.

In 2003, Lorre co-created Two and a Half Men with Lee Aronsohn. The show focuses on two brothers, one of whom, Charlie (Charlie Sheen), is a rich, successful womanizer who owns a beach house at Malibu. His brother Alan (Jon Cryer) gets a divorce and is forced to move into his brother's Malibu house. Alan also has a son, Jake (Angus T. Jones) the "half" who comes to visit the brothers on weekends. Premiered on CBS in September 2003, the series has become the most popular sitcom in America.[1] As of the 2010–2011 season, Two and a Half Men would have completed eight seasons. In February 2011, however, CBS canceled the production of the rest of the eighth season, following several incidents of production shutdowns allegedly due to Charlie Sheen's problems with substance abuse, the last of which culminated in Sheen's verbal attacks directed at Lorre in a radio interview.[6][7] Charlie Sheen was later fired from the show,[8] following which he filed a US$100 million legal action against Lorre and Warner Bros.[9]

In 2007, Lorre co-created The Big Bang Theory (with Bill Prady), which follows two young nerdy physicists living next door to an attractive young woman. Each episode usually focuses on the daily lives of the men and two of their equally nerdy friends, with a dose of absurdity from the relationship with their normal neighbor. The two main protagonists, Sheldon and Leonard, are named after the actor and television producer Sheldon Leonard.[10] The show is the second highest rated comedy series in America.[2]

Lorre's most recent production Mike & Molly premiered on CBS in September 2010.[11]

Vanity cards

Lorre in 2007

At the end of every episode of Dharma & Greg, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly, Lorre features a vanity card consisting of a message that usually reads like an editorial, essay, or observation on life. The card is shown for only a few seconds at most, meaning it cannot always be read during its original airing. Lorre also posts his vanity cards on his website, ChuckLorre.com. CBS has censored Lorre's vanity cards on several occasions.[12] The uncensored cards can be found on his website. The production card used on Grace under Fire and Cybill featured a wooden desk with an Apple Macintosh SE.

Show crossovers

Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory are both taped at the Warner Brothers lot, in adjacent stages; the shows share several writers and technical crews.[15]The Big Bang Theory has cast several actors from Lorre's past, starting with Johnny Galecki from Roseanne (he was Darlene's boyfriend and later husband). Sara Gilbert, who played Darlene on Roseanne, was Leslie Winkle on Big Bang. Laurie Metcalf, who played Jackie in Roseanne, plays Sheldon's mother Mary. Christine Baranski, Emmy Award winner on Cybill, was cast as Leonard's mother.

Also on The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon, Leonard and Penny are seen watching Oshikuru: Demon Samurai. Oshikuru was the show Charlie wrote the theme song for on Two and a Half Men. Charlie Sheen also makes a cameo appearance in the Big Bang episode "The Griffin Equivalency".

Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men appeared in one episode of Dharma and Greg.

Jenna Elfman, Susan Sullivan, and Joel Murray of Dharma and Greg also appeared in various episodes of Two and a Half Men.

Awards and recognition

Lorre won BMI Television Music Awards in 2004, 2005, and 2008 for Two and a Half Men.

On March 12, 2009, Lorre received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[16] Three months later, Lorre received an honorary degree from the State University of New York at Potsdam and gave a keynote address at the graduation.[17]

Presenting Emmy at 2013 Emmy Awards with Jon Cryer.

Personal life

Lorre is of Jewish origin. He is divorced and has two children.[1][18]